


Avant-Garde a Clue

by Lissy (Alicia_H)



Category: The Beatles
Genre: Arguing, Gen, Music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-27
Updated: 2008-04-27
Packaged: 2017-10-07 21:27:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/69408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alicia_H/pseuds/Lissy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reason <i>Carnival of Light</i> was left off the Beatles Anthology albums.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Avant-Garde a Clue

They had promised not to bicker like this again. Of course, this vow was forgotten the moment they something worth locking antlers over. The Beatles' producer shared a look with the group's drummer before they both sat back and watched the argument unfold resignedly.

"It's shit, Paul," George Harrison told his band mate bluntly. "All it is a collection of weird sounds that you had us throw together for some mates of yours."

"No, you've got it all wrong. Just listen to it. You know the fans'll dig it anyway, even if it is a bit 'weird'." As he said this, Paul actually stuck his fingers up to do air quotes, completely oblivious to the fact that everyone else in the room was either hiding their face with embarrassment or struggling not to laugh.

"Only the daft ones who'll like anything as long as it's got our name on it."

"But it's part of our history. That makes it interesting."

"Trust me, it's dreadful. It's just you and John shouting out mad stuff."

"No..."

It took a while for Paul to come up with a defence to this. Indeed, pausing their fight to listen to the part of the track that was currently playing, they could clearly hear a much younger Paul shouting 'Barcelona!' while John Lennon screamed dementedly in the background. George gave him a pointed look.

"I-it-it's avant-garde!" Paul exclaimed loudly with such frustrated aggravation and exasperation that even George looked at him in concern before retaliating with a biting comeback.

"Avant-garde a clue, more like!"

"But, but..." Paul looked flustered as he trailed off into a huffy silence.

For a moment the observers of the row thought that might be the end of it. However, Paul soon found a new direction to take the argument in. He used the fact that Revolution 9 being included on the White Album, something he'd caused a certain amount of fuss about at the time, if memory served, as a reason for the inclusion of this track on the Anthology album. It had been thirty years since the piece had been recorded and the two of them still couldn't agree about it. George Martin would hardly have believed it of two grown men, but then these two could easily revert into a sour mix of sulky teenagers and petulant five-year-olds when they were in disagreement. As Ringo said to him in a low, almost sarcastic voice, it was just like the old days. Remembering the kerfuffle over Hey Jude he had to agree it wasn't far off.

A considerable time later, when it became clear that Paul had lost his battle, the faint pencil question mark next to Carnival of Light was replaced with a cross in red pen.


End file.
